I had noticed that you were dropping little hints here and there...Emmett's arrest, the guy at the boat house, the Stanford professor. Frankly, I didn't think much about it, just kept it all in the back of my head. But now that I'm going back, i want to give you big kudos for planning all of this and planting the seeds in our subconscious.

It's brilliant, because towards the end there, I wondered...now how does all that time travel talk fit in? I trust, we'll see.

Also, the lemon at the bottom. I love when they're short and sweet because, lady, I re-read a few times more after I was done.

What a tough chapter. You convey enough of what we need to know with perfectly painted scene. I could have been on that houseboat on that lake on that night. I could almost smell the moss.

And, is it wrong to be happy that she doesn't really remember the actual violence? That her head trapped it in so that we didn't have to hear it?

Having said that, I'm glad you gave a little of that to Edward, even if fleetingly. It made him seem real b/c no one is perfect and she does have a lot of baggage. He should for a second be scared and stumble along with her. Glad, he's by her side, though, and is stronger than that.

Oh, Rose. The vain sister, mama's girl, beautiful and knows it. I'm not even mad at her. Just sad.

Oh! I just remembered...your 3rd person voice is fantastic. It translates our characters on to the page very well. I never feel like it's stilted or awkward.

I believe that it's gotten tighter, more confident, as your story progressed. By chapter 4-5, I think, I stepped back and realized that I was still reading in 3rd POV, yet I got enough into each character's head that it didn't feel like it.

Ugh. Painful. But good. Good to see their reactions are normal and real. Glad that you bring enough levity in the scene to keep us interested because every little action is refreshing and you can't anticipate how these two are going to be. You're not giving us boring stuff here. I mean, suddenly, I really am reading everything she has to say. It's not just another plot device to give us her background.

Man! I love little moments that define a character. First of all, I'm loving Uncle Peter. I loved the small touches...his wink, for instance.

And thanks for, essentially, painting scenes, little gems for us to capture them - the protectiveness of the bar, Edward's reliability at the end of the month, the casual flirting on the beach while Edward slyly tries to breach her soul.

Ah...moving in months does wonders for your story. So glad that Bella is not too insecure. Otherwise, she'd fall in the same fic trap of becoming passive aggressive. Not your girl, she's got real strength in her.

It's refreshing to read characters that are opening up little by little. We WANT to root for these two. Oh, they're lovely.

The funny thing about this chapter is that even without Bella's past, her actions are translatable for any shy or awkward girl. You painted her insecurities in a universal way so that we can all relate to her.

Hot guy, shy girl...of course she'd bolt! Goodness, with his kind of experience and her lack of...jeesh, I'd be hot-pepper-red every time he came around.

Great dialogue b/w Mike and Edward. just the right balance of "bro" and the way real people speak to each other.

Your grasp of writing is fantastic. It's lean and it allows the reader to work a little in filling in the small gaps. This engages us and really puts us in your story. Love that.

Also, it's nice to see Edward "grow up" little by little, letting the distance become telling in his feelings for her. So glad you didn't let their insecurities/personalities get stuck on loop for chapters on end. With each chapter, there's a little growth for each of them.

Oh, man. I love the characterizations. Nice and refreshing to be surrounded by characters we like. Even the ones we don't really know well, like Carlisle. You give us enough of an impression of him that while he comes off as a bit cold, we get hints that his aloofness springs from a broken place. Namely, his wife's death.

And Peter! Jeesh, you don't have to make him alive to make him an already great character. Lovely touches.

And, yeah, go Mrs. Cope. An underused character w/ so much potential. I love that you're giving her her due.

You deserve so many reviews for this story. I'm blown away. It's beautiful.

The writing is clean, the language is fluid. I love your characters.

Admittedly, I read it all in one sitting yesterday. I couldn't pry myself away from it and it's still resonating with me this morning.

As a thank you for writing, the best us readers can do is increase your review count so it gets the attention it deserves. So I'll just go on ahead and do that now. Excuse me if I don't provide much insight, it's just that your instincts are spot on and I love where you're going with it.